GPSR - Terrible news for my EU/NI Customers

I'm sad to announce that the new General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) coming into play on 13th December will mean that going forwards, I'm no longer able to sell to countries within the European Union or Northern Ireland.

For anyone who might be wondering how this affects them and needs a little more detail, I've included a link to this article written by Folksy, which seems to be a good guide on what the changes mean and why they've been brought into effect.

After happily posting regularly to EU customers for decades, it's clear that most small businesses just don't have the resources to fulfil the new requirements and will be left with no other option than to stop posting to the EU/NI. I've heard that the fines being imposed on those who may unintentionally break laws due to a lack of understanding are enormous, so it's not even worth the risk.

This has been a devastating blow for every single small business like mine, and a wave of despair has been felt amongst the artistic community. It always seems to be the little guys who get hurt the most by new rules and legislation, isn't it? Right before the festive period too...

So, I'm terribly sorry to all my lovely overseas customers who've supported my little business over the years - it seems I'm left with no other option.

I loved being part of the EU and like many others, did not vote for Brexit. This news has prompted me to write to my local MP to request that the UK Government act, and at least try to do something to support small businesses because they really are the backbone of the economy. As someone who's in the priveleged position of not having to rely soley on the income of their small business, I'm writing the letter with all my fellow artists and makers in mind, who now have insurmountable worry hanging over them.

A little reminder then, for this festive period - if you're someone who takes part in present buying/gift giving, please boycott those atrocious large corporations who undercut, mass produce, believe in profit over people and in doing so happily destroy the planet, and choose instead to shop small, buy hand-crafted, ethically sourced delights from your local artists, makers and independent businesses. They're wonderful, talented people and deserve to make a living from their wares, but they need all the help they can get.